Date: Thu, 26 May 2011 17:29:38 +0000
From: David Lee
Subject: Tommy and Tanner, Chapter 17
Tommy and Tanner
Chapter 17
Warning:
This story contains scenes of love and sexual interaction between males of
similar age. If the reading or possessing this material is illegal in your
country, state, province, county, municipality, etc., please leave this
site immediately and do not proceed further. If you are under the legal
age to read this, please do not do so. It is not my intention to offend
anyone or to get you in trouble.
The author retains the copyright, and any other rights, to this original
story. You may not publish it or any part of it without explicit
authorization from me.
This is not my first attempt at writing fiction. My longer stories on
Nifty include: "Always and Forever" (March 25, 2004), "Jacob and Jacques"
(May 30, 2004), "Zeke" (August 29, 2005), "Tales from Bentonville"
(November 16, 2008), and "Second Chance" (September 24, 2010) under "High
School" and "Someone to Watch over Me" under "Beginnings" in the gay male
section. There are a few short stories also: "Brad and Alan's Canoe Trip"
(April 22, 2004 under "Camping", "Of Angels and Dragons" (November 8, 2008)
under "Camping", "A Christmas Tale" (December 22, 2009) under "High
School", "Brazil Affair" (October 1, 2010) under "Beginnings" and "Seth's
Gift" (October 10, 2010) under the Science Fiction/Fantasy category.
I am now listed on Nifty under the category of "Prolific Net Authors" which
will make it easier for you to access earlier stories. Some of these
stories are also posted at: www.storylover.us along with those of other
writers that may interest you.
My only reward for contributing to Nifty is your emails. Please write if
you like the story. Please include the name of the story in the title of
your email because my email service sometimes puts them in the "spam" file.
Finally, thanks and hugs to Tom and David (boxerdude) who edit for me so
that there are fewer mistakes! They not only proof-read, but make other
valuable suggestions.
David
(dlee169@hotmail.com)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Tommy and Tanner,
Chapter 17
When Tommy and Tanner came into the kitchen for breakfast the following
morning, Tuck was waiting for them. He talked about general things until
their mother was out of the room. Then he got to the subject that had been
on his mind since the drive home from church the previous day.
"Will you guys tell me something without making me feel dumb?"
"Sure, you've already established that you're not too bright," Tommy
teased.
"I'm serious, Tommy, please!"
"Okay, I'm sorry, but you since you can dish out the teasing, you need to
learn to take it in return."
"Yeah, I know, but I don't want to feel stupid."
"You aren't. You're not so much younger than I am and I remember wanting
to have my questions answered," Tommy said gently. "Tim was always pretty
good about leveling with me and so was Dad."
"Okay. Thanks. Lee said something yesterday about me having "gaydar" and
not being gay. I think I know what it means but I'm not quite sure."
"Like Mom always says, you can pick up a lot about the meaning of a term
from the context. You said you had a feeling that Mr. Parker is gay and
Lee said that you evidently have gaydar. So what do you think it means?"
"Maybe like I can tell by some extra sense. Oh, I get it! It's like radar
only it applies to knowing if another person is queer!"
"You've got it, baby Bro, but please don't say "queer" in your
explanation." Tanner chided
"I'm sorry! I do know better. Thanks guys; you're good big brothers like
Tim."
"Well, I think our stock has gone up today," Tommy laughed, when Tucker had
left the kitchen.
"Yup. He's growing up and we need to treat him that way. I think we
should be completely open with him from now on."
"I agree, but we don't need to get too personal in what we tell him," Tommy
snickered.
----------
Tuesday turned out to be a day of social invitations. Jennifer Baker,
young Brendon's mom, called the Torrance residence to see if Tommy and
Tanner would be available to go with Andy, Brendon, and her for a picnic
lunch at the park the following day. She had already cleared it with
Andy's mom for him to join them. Jennifer wanted to talk to the three boys
again, and the outdoor setting would give her son a chance to run off his
excess energy and play in the company of well-mannered boys that he felt
close to.
After discussing it with the Tommy and Tanner, Teri called back to confirm
their willingness to attend.
In the afternoon, Lee called Tanner on his cell phone to let him know he'd
be at church again on Sunday. He was driving over just in time for the
service, and wondered if Tanner had a suggestion for a good place to have
brunch afterward. He wanted to take the whole family out and was going to
invite Peter to join them.
After checking with Teri on a restaurant that would fit their needs, Tanner
called Lee back to say that the family would be delighted to join him.
Teri had told Tanner about a place that served great food at a reasonable
price, and could accommodate them easily if they booked ahead. She
appreciated Lee's desire to treat them because of the times they'd hosted
him, but she didn't want him to spend all his money in one place. Paying
for all their meals would add up to a tidy sum, and she was always
conscious of stretching a dollar!
----------
At 11:30 the following day, Jennifer Baker arrived in her Honda CRV to pick
up Tommy and Tanner. Andy was already seated in front, so the Torrance
boys got in back with Brendon. Being too young to legally ride in the
shotgun seat, he was pleased to have company in the back. He chattered
happily about the swings, merry-go-round, tornado slide, and the water pad
that were at the park. The boys grinned at his enthusiastic appraisal of
what the place had to offer.
Mrs. Baker evidently had a realistic conception of teens' appetites because
she had purchased enough KFC chicken, coleslaw, and biscuits to feed a
small army. She had brought along a big bag of chips which seemed more
appropriate on a warm summer's day than the mashed potatoes and gravy which
was often included in the meal. She also had a cooler to preserve the
leftovers in the event that there were any.
Brendon could hardly sit still long enough to eat, but managed to do so
because the older guys were politely taking their time over the meal. He
wanted to hurry up to play, but he also wanted to make a good impression on
them.
The minute they were all finished, Brendon pulled off the shorts he was
wearing over his swimming trunks and headed for the splash-pad that was a
few yards away. Since it was reserved for the little kids, the boys stayed
at the table with Jennifer, but turned so they could watch him.
"I was hoping we'd get to chat without Brendon around close enough to
overhear us." She began. "I wanted you to know that he's doing very well
and shows no signs of trauma over being molested at the pool. By the way,
you guys are his heroes."
"He's a great kid," Andy said. "We've been hoping he'd be okay."
"You boys treat him like he's a little brother and that's part of what I
wanted to talk about, in addition to thanking you again and again! With
his father on a tour of duty in Afghanistan, he's in need of a male role
model. I thought maybe I could pay you to be like big brothers to him."
"If I can help the family of someone in the service, there's no way I'd
take money for it!" Tommy insisted.
"Me neither," both Tanner and Andy joined in.
"I have a younger brother who'd love to come here to play with him
sometimes," Andy said. "We could bike over or get our housekeeper to drive
us. Mom works full-time in her law practice, but she might be able to take
off a few minutes to do it. If she does, we'd have to bring my sister
along too."
"We can help honcho the troops too," Tanner smiled. "We could also take
him to the pool if you think he'd be okay going back there."
"I think he needs to be there with guys he trusts in order to take away the
bad memory and replace it with good ones. He'd feel safe with you. I'm
not sure why they don't ban homosexuals from using the dressing room where
little kids are going to be!"
"Uh, not all gays are pederasts," Andy said frowning. "In fact, the vast
majority of guys who molest little boys are straight, married men."
"How do you know that? And where did you learn that term?"
"Dad's a cop and mom's a lawyer," Andy said. "They discuss a number of
things in my presence."
"I didn't know that straight men are the molesters, but I know my son would
be safe with decent boys like you."
"What if you found out I was gay," Tommy asked directly.
"Well, I guess that wouldn't matter either because I now know you and trust
you. You've proven yourself to be a good person as all of you are. I
shouldn't have said what I did about gays anyway. My husband wouldn't be
alive today if it hadn't been for a young gay soldier throwing his body on
a grenade. Todd won't allow anyone to say anything derogatory about
homosexuals in his presence."
"Wow, a gay guy sacrificed his life for his friends. It makes me proud,"
Tommy smiled sadly.
"Yes, it was in Todd's first tour of duty in Iraq. He was like a fish out
of water, but this guy, Barry Wilson was his name, took him under his wing.
At first Todd thought it might be an excuse to get into his pants, so to
speak, but he found that Barry was simply a very good guy."
"I'm glad to hear that," Tanner spoke up. "It seems like gay people often
get vilified."
"You're right. I apologize and I must compliment all you boys on your
vocabularies."
"Mom teaches English." Tanner grinned.
"Mom, watch me go through the car wash spray!" Brendon interrupted their
conversation. "I'm a Hummer!"
Jennifer welcomed the change of subject. She sensed that she had gotten
onto thin ice. It made her wonder if Tommy, Tanner, or both might be
having issues with their sexual identity. It wasn't her place to put them
on the spot, and she certainly did trust them with her son. Perhaps she
needed to do some serious thinking about the subject like Todd had.
----------
On Thursday, Teri prepared dinner for her family and their guest, Dorothy.
Tim had assured his mother that the elderly lady would love to eat with
their family. Teri had decided it was best to extend an invitation before
her teaching duties filled her busy life to the limit.
When Tim went to fetch her around 5:30, Dorothy was ready with a large
paper plate filled with freshly-baked cookies. He helped her into his car,
placing the plate on the floor of the backseat where it would ride safely.
"You're keeping old Betsy as neat as a pin!" she exclaimed. "I'm so
pleased that I sold her to you. I hope you get years of enjoyment out of
her."
"Thanks," Tim smiled. "As cheap as you sold her, it's more like you let me
adopt her."
"Good! Keep treating her like family and she'll treat you well in return."
----------
They ate indoors because Teri thought it might be easier for Dorothy than
negotiating the steps to the patio. However, after seeing her walk, she
felt it might not have been necessary. Dorothy seemed more agile than she
had been the previous month.
After dinner, Teri gave their guest a short tour of the house. Dorothy
seemed to be taking everything in.
"This place is beautifully decorated! Would you be willing to share the
name of the person who coordinated it so well?"
"That would be me," Teri laughed. "Well, the boys got to pick the basic
colors for their rooms and, quite honestly, Tark has a good eye for
decorating too. He might look too macho for anyone to believe that, but
it's true."
"It's simply amazing. The window treatment in your family room is perfect
with the slipcovers on the sofa and chair. That had to be a custom job."
"My sewing machine and I make a good team." Teri smiled.
"Dear, I know this is an imposition, and I want to pay you for your time,
but I'd love to have you take a look at my house because I want to update
it. It's not only for me, but to make the place marketable when I decide I
can't keep it up anymore. In this economy, a person has to keep a house
looking fresh and new in order to sell it."
"Dorothy, I'd be pleased to advise you, but don't you dare think about
paying me! If you feel obligated, you can decide what my advice is worth
and send a check to help with relief efforts in Haiti or some other
third-world country."
----------
After watching the video from Shogun's, Tim decided he would like to learn
the basics of kempo too. However, he wasn't sure how he'd work regular
weekly classes into his schedule along with football practice. So, his
brothers promised to go over each new technique they learned. Tark
encouraged them, saying it would not only save time and money, but would be
a great way to reinforce what they were learning. He said that a person
tends to master a lesson when demonstrating it to someone else.
Tim also wanted to invite Chas to join them. No one objected to including
him and all felt it would be a good idea for him to be able to defend
himself in case he ever in a tight spot. For the most part, he seemed to
have been left alone by bullies that might have harassed him. Some of that
probably had to do with the fact that he and Tim were together a lot and
most of the guys at school respected Tim.
----------
On Sunday, Peter sat with Lee who had saved a place in the pew he was
sharing with Dorothy and the Torrance clan. Both young men had a kind of
glow about them that would garner Lee a bit of playful teasing from the
boys later.
Of course the boys weren't the only ones to notice; Dorothy didn't miss
much. Just before the service started, she caught Tim's eye and winked
when Lee and Peter had their heads together discussing something that the
rest couldn't hear. Tim started to giggle and that set off the other guys
as well as Dorothy. Lee was afraid to ask what it was all about.
----------
The restaurant had plenty to offer in the way of breakfast and lunch foods.
The boys had to use a lot of self-discipline to keep from piling their
plates with more than they should eat. Teri had reminded them that since
this was a buffet they could go back to the line as often as they wanted,
but they should take small portions and pace themselves with conversation
between bites.
They all retired to the Torrance house after their meal. Peter and Lee got
the boys playing Frisbee while the other adults visited. Eventually, Tark
got into the game too. He was deadly accurate, making the younger men
envious. They hoped to maintain that kind of athletic ability when they
were his age.
In the middle of the afternoon, Dorothy asked Tim to drive her home because
she was ready for a nap. The day had taken a lot out of her. He made the
trip quickly and was soon with his family again.
Lee and Peter were doing their best to stay and make polite conversation
with everyone, but shortly after Tim returned they said their goodbyes.
The boys were fairly certain that they were going to Peter's apartment
before Lee drove home, but they didn't tease or even ask if that was their
destination.
-----------
"You have a very nice place here," Lee said. "I love what you've done with
the color scheme."
"I have a minor in art and took an interior design class in college. I
love doing it!
Would you consider staying for pizza later? I'd like you to. We could
watch a video or sit on the deck and watch the sun slowly sink into the
west."
"Sitting on the deck sounds like a plan to me."
"Would you care for a glass of white wine while we do?"
"Great!"
"As you can see, the deck is very private since I'm on the top floor and
have stapled awning fabric to the rails. We could strip down and catch
some rays."
"I don't have trunks to put on," Lee said.
"I can lend you some, or we can go out in our undies. In fact, I often
work on my `all-over' tan out there. No one can see."
"Okay, Now that you mention it, I am wearing my Joe Snyder square-cut camo
briefs that are supposed to double as swimwear. At least the stud in the
promo picture is wearing them at a lake."
"I have a pair of those too! I'll go put them on and we'll be
look-alikes."
The two young men lay on mats in the sun discussing any number of things
while the pizza was thawing on the counter. Peter had a bottle of #4
tanning oil that he offered to spread on Lee's back. Lee accepted and
returned the favor. In the process, both of them filled out the pouches in
their stretchy pieces of clothing rather nicely. They were beginning to
feel hot for reasons other than the rays of the sun.
Lee wanted to throw caution to the wind and take Peter into his arms and
kiss him, but held back because he didn't want to rush things and ruin what
he hoped might develop into a long-term relationship. Instead, he extended
another invitation.
"How'd you like to go with me Friday night to see "Billy Elliot" in the
city? I have a friend whose son will be dancing the lead and she's given
me a pair of prime tickets. They're located just left of center in the
orchestra section."
"I'd love that!" Peter enthused. "Maybe we could go in a couple of hours
early and I could treat you to dinner." Peter suggested.
"And when we get home late, maybe you could stay over at my condo."
"Do we know each other well enough for that?" Peter asked, feeling both
hope and fear.
"I have three bedrooms, and you can take your pick of where you sleep. I'm
not going to put any pressure on you."
"Oh darn!" Peter joked nervously.
"Well, not unless you want some. I DO like to be a good host and
accommodate my guests."
"I like you a lot," Peter admitted. "And I'd love to sleep over, but I
don't want to mess things up. I've been burned before."
"Me too. I'd really love to have you stay, but I won't push you. At least
let's do dinner and the show, and you can bring an overnight bag in your
car and make up your mind later."
----------
Teri figured she'd better keep her commitment to Dorothy before the fall
term began. Once that happened, it would be an unrelenting push right up
to Thanksgiving break.
Dorothy showed her all around the roomy two-story house which was in
excellent condition. They started upstairs. Teri walked beside her as she
rode up on the stair-chair lift that had been carefully installed so as not
to mar the beautiful varnished oak woodwork.
"Do you think I should have this lift removed before I put the house on the
market?" Dorothy asked. "I had it put in for Frank, but found that it's
easier for me too in my old age."
"I'm not sure whether it would detract or not. It's certainly well made
and fits in. With the stairs as wide as they are, it doesn't get in the
way of anyone's walking. I guess you'd have to consult a realtor about
that."
"I suppose you're right. How would you feel about it if you were buying
the place? I'd like the viewpoint of a young lady with a family."
"I'd leave it. I have a mother who will probably face knee replacement
someday, given the history of arthritis on that side of the family. I also
have a husband who should have surgery on his left knee from a college
football injury. So, in my case, I'd keep it."
Teri gave her honest opinion on each room that they looked at. She advised
having the wallpaper removed and the walls painted a neutral color since
many people don't like paper and it tends to be difficult to remove if it's
the old fashioned kind which this seemed to be.
She recommended leaving all the trim varnished as it was because it was
original and well-made. She felt the same about the tile in the bathrooms.
For the kitchen, she said she would probably buy a large refrigerator with
a bottom freezer drawer.
"The trouble is that if you replace that, you'll get stuck with doing the
rest so they all match. Stainless steel is pretty expensive, but that's
what people seem to want. You really do have to get rid of the avocado
range at least. I'm sure it's perfect, but it does look dated."
"I'm aware of that, dear, and you're not hurting my feelings by mentioning
it. I plan to spend several thousand dollars on upgrading in here. I was
thinking of granite countertops and a ceramic tile floor. What do you
think about that?"
"That's pretty pricey. Personally, I'd keep vinyl on the floor. It's easy
to keep up and you don't break as many dishes when you drop them! They
have some nice patterns that look like tile and would coordinate with
granite."
Dorothy took notes on everything Teri had suggested and was planning to
begin the process of finding a contractor the next day.
Before they ended their afternoon, Dorothy insisted on having iced tea and
cookies. (Boys got milk; ladies got tea.)
----------
"Tark, I have just toured one of the most beautiful houses in town! You've
seen it. Have you ever been in such a well-preserved craftsman style home?
It's deceptive because it doesn't look imposing on the outside, but has
lots of room inside and there's a beautiful master bedroom suite over the
family room. The addition blends so well that you wouldn't know it wasn't
original except for its size."
"It is a beauty alright. I've often dreamed of owning one like that
someday."
"I wish we could afford it. I think she'll put in on the market soon."
Teri said wistfully.
"I suppose we could afford it if it weren't for my damned pride. I'm sure
Dad would help us buy it if I asked him. Of course my estranged mother
would gloat about being right -- that I shouldn't have gone into a
profession with no future and little monetary remuneration. Sometimes I
feel like I've let you and my family down, not being able to provide
better."
"No, I wasn't suggesting that you take money from your father. We're fine
with what we can afford. Never, never feel that you've let me or our boys
down! You have provided well, and what you do for your students and
athletes can't be measured in dollars or material things. Neither can the
way you make me feel."
"Are you trying to seduce me, woman?"
"Maybe," Teri answered, caressing the bulge in his shorts.
"Do we have time before the boys come home?"
"Yes, if we don't waste time talking about it!" Teri answered with a
seductive smile.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Author's notes: Thanks to all who emailed this past week. The list
includes: John McD, Rutabaga, Roger L, RC, Ott, Trish, Bill T, Don R, Bob
Z, Wayne, Jim C, Tony B, Anthony L, Paul R, Jim W, John McD, Frankie (#89
since fall), Peter T, Hans (A&F #90), Blake J (#91)and Paul F.
In your prayers, please remember the people in Joplin and other hard-hit
areas. Also remember David's (my US editor) mother who has suffered burns
in a home fire.
You may have noticed that "Bryce" ended recently. If you haven't read it,
you might want to note the final posting so you can find it again.
David